On friday, March 30th, 23 year old Greta Kline will release Vessel, her 52nd album to date. No small feat for anyone, much less someone who has an average of one album per every 4 months for being on the planet.
Having so many albums in such a short time one could expect that a lack of curating could produce a turkey of an album every now and then, but 'Vessel' is no turkey.
Kline began uploading songs she had written and recorded in her bedroom at the age of 15, under several monikers including Ingrid Superstar (her dogˈs name) and Frankie Cosmos; a nickname given to her by a boyfriend.
In 2014 Kline moved away from the singer/songwriter role into a full band for Frankie Cosmos' first physical release Zentropy. Unlike her mountain of albums before that would jump between folk/acoustic guitar, to experimental electronica to punk; Zentropy was more focused and had a more cohesive sugary pop sound throughout.
The next full band release, called Next Thing, was a rerecording of songs from some of her previous releases but as a full band, and again with the same pop sound from Zentropy. While Next Thing was her most critically acclaimed release to date (and on our 2016 top 10 list), it did signify a move into a more restrained sound, not jumping from genre to genre as whim and emotion saw fit.
At first glance, Vessel falls into this trap as well, with the opening track Caramelize holding the same bubblegum pop sound of Next Thing and Zentropy; Which isn't to say the super slick sound of Kline and Co. isn't worth ingesting, tracks like Jesseand Duet hold all the earnestness of a confused teen in love, but there was a unique thumbprint in the early releases in the form of background noise, off mic chatting, and noisy gutterpunk samples. But, by the 4th track, This Stuff, it is clear that Kline had found a way to bring out the early intimate style as well as the teenage ramble tamble with her new band.
Quite possibly the strongest track on Vessel is a throwback to the theory of the album This Thing, as it is a reworking of an older, pre-band, Frankie Cosmos song from 2014's Affirms Glinting.
And, as it happens, There is a very strong Louisville connection to this new version of Being Alive, as the very first time this new arrangement was played was on stage at the Zanzabar in 2017, as an impromptu experiment for the band. Right before they played the song Kline announced to the band and to her friends in the opening act, Nice Try, that she always meant to ask them to sing the chorus but always forgot and asked if they could try it despite never practicing it this way, and to the crowd's and Greta's delight bandmates Lauren Martin and Luke Pyensonn obliged, as well as Madeline Robinson, of Nice Try (who also appears on Vessel).
There is no doubt that Frankie Cosmos' Vessel will be making an appearance on our 2018 Best Of List as well.
On September 25th, the relatively new band called Frankie Cosmos played at Zanzabar in Louisville Kentucky to a packed house. An amazing feat for any music group on a Monday night, much less a band that until recently only had a presence on bandcamp that was limited to low-fi bedroom recordings.
The band Frankie Cosmos grew out of the solo work of 23 year old Greta Kline who began uploading songs she had written and recorded in her bedroom at the age of 15. In under 10 years Kline has released over 50 albums (all but 2 being digital only releases), first under the name Ingrid Superstar (her dogˈs name) and later as Frankie Cosmos; a nickname given to her by her boyfriend Aaron Maine.
Klineˈs earliest efforts resembled that of an audio diary accompanied by simple guitar riffs or chords from a childrenˈs keyboard. Her nearly unprecedented amount of work in such a short amount of time gained her a loyal bandcamp fanbase that watched a young Klineˈs life unfold. For those of us who kept track of her work over the years, we listened as Kline the musician evolved from simple rhythms to her first attempts at guitar solos, into fully layered and structured songs. As a person we listened as she moved into adulthood through her deeply personal unfiltered songwriting. Her earliest songs revolved around issues that tweens deal with; nervousness about sexual identity and societal pressures, getting high, farts. Slowly she moved into the confusing world of adult problems... We listened as her world opened up, as she experimented with drugs and sex, we listened to her fall deeply in love, and we also listened helplessly as her young heart was broken, and we stayed with her as she picked up the pieces.
I first came across her music by sheer accident about 4 years ago or so. I was working as a librarian in Appalachia, which, isn't as glamorous as it sounds; mostly just sitting at a desk in an office type setting which is just the worst kind of way to spend your days. So I mostly bounced around the online music platforms and came across a playlist that someone had made about New York which included the Frankie Cosmos song NYC is Cold from the superb 8 song 'im sorry im hi lets go' album and was instantly hooked.
In 2014 Kline moved from the singer/songwriter role into a full band aided by her boyfriend Aaron Maine for her first physical release Zentropy. It was at that time that she began using her real name Greta Kline and used the name Frankie Cosmos as the bandˈs name. This was a big step for someone who had chosen to stay anonymous and built a following on her talent and dedication instead of trading on the family name (she is the daughter of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates).
Last year Frankie Cosmos released Next Thing to wide acclaim solidifying their status as a serious band with serious talent, and not just a novelty.
Ian Sweet (Jilian Medford)
On Monday night Frankie Cosmos the band took the stage at 9:45, After a exemplary set by Kline protege Ian Sweet (AKA Jilian Medford), with a selection of songs from Next Thing (which is a collection of full band renditions of earlier Cosmos work) such as On The Lips, Floated In, Sinister, and Fool. Kline, in full-on 'confidently awkward' form introduced the entire band as well as herself as Greta (thus solidifying the recent choice to separate herself from character in her songs) and making the mistake of asking how to pronounce Louisville as the crowd offered a million answers all at once, while taking off her baggy sweater and looked down at herself and said "um, yes, I am wearing a child's shirt. I wish I had left my sweater on. That's ok, be your best self" before diving into more tracks from Next Thing (What If and the dream pop ear candy Outside With the Cuties).
Frankie Cosmos merch table
Despite having 50+ albums to choose from, the band stuck mostly to tracks from the 2 physical releases, such as My I Love You and I Do Too from Zentropy, and some of the more popular tracks from Next Thing like Sappho and Is It Possible/Sleep Song as the cheering crowd excitedly sang the last line "I guess I just make myself the victim like you said, that's why when you treat me shitty you get mad. It all makes sense now, thanks so much. Goodbye forever, what the fuck!"
There were a few exceptions at the end of the performance, including a new song introduced as 'this is a brand new song, so please don't record it." (so I did not record it), and an extremely fast paced version of Being Alive from 2014's Affirms Glinting (This song I did record). Right before they played the song Greta announced to the band and to her friends in the opening act, Nice Try, that she always meant to ask them to sing the chorus but always forgot and asked if they could try it despite never practicing it, and to the crowd's and Greta's delight bandmates Lauren Martin and Luke Pyensonn obliged, as well as Madeline Robinson, from Nice Try, who ran up from the crowd for her turn at the chorus, making a perfect ending to a perfect monday night show.
Frankie Cosmos: Greta Kline (Left), David Maine (Center),
Luke Pyensonn (Right) and Lauren Martin (not pictured)
23 year old Frankie Cosmos (a.k.a Greta, the daughter of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates) has released over 50 albums. Here are just 20 tracks you should know before she plays Zanzabar this monday (all ages. 8pm. Get tix here).
37FLOOD has been doing year end reviews, and also decade end reviews (yes, we've been around that long) since 2010, and filing them under the category of 'Best Of'. Last year we heard a compelling argument by a Louisville musician on why he declined to accept a 'Louisville Music Award'. His argument was that music is subjective to the listener, and not objective, therefore cannot be quantified and measured as such. "you can have a 'tallest building' award but it is not possible to prove mathematically a 'best song'." We here at 37FLOOD agree, and have changed our categories to 'Favorite' instead of 'Best'. We, however, will still put our 'Favorite lists' on the 'Best Of' page to preserve continuity, with the previous 'Best Of' lists.
And, so, we give you 37FLOOD's 'Favorite's of 2016'. Last year we asked one of our writers if he would like to make a 'Best of 2015' list. His response was that there wasn't enough great music in 2015 to justify a list (however we disagreed and made a 2015 list anyway, found here).
Regardless of the overwhelming evidence that 2016 in general sucked, we found the music in 2016 to be extraordinary, with an above average output of quality music!
But not just extraordinary in a few genres, but holistically, as seen reflected in our 'Favorite Albums' list. You will find our favorite albums this year include Hip Hop, Psychedelia, Black Metal, Folk, Instrumentalia, and even Disco. And, of course, half of the music and media on our lists are Louisville based, including Twin Limb, Sea Hero, Jaye Jayle, Sick Velvet, and more, including the local media outlets Never Nervous and Kath In The Bath.
Among our favorites, we have included Leonard Cohen's last LP, You Want It Darker, recorded as he was dying. The album is genius, with several tracks reaching the hight of masterpieces, including the title track, Treaty, and Leaving The Table. Due to the high amount of musical related deaths this year, You Want It Darker was largely overlooked. But as for a look into death, this LP is as true as it gets; it's a heartbreaking trek through the mind of someone who knows he is not getting out.
Car Seat Headrest's first physical release, Teens Of Denial, get top marks, as the double LP is solid from stem to sternum. Will Toledo's focus has been tightened while still keeping the 'Jonathan Richman' style New England shrug to life's uphill battles.
Some of our favorites failed to get a physical release, but deserve a seat at the Favorites table none the less. Knox Brown's Searching EP was released by Virgin EMI Records, but only as a download, but is very worth a physical release. Drugdealer's debut 'The End of Comedy' was released physically, but not in the U.S. which is a large oversight, as it's disco overtones only enhance the mystical feel added by Weyes Blood and other contributors.
Take a look at our picks, and let us know what your 2016 picks are. Send your list to us here by Jan. 1st, and we will pick 5 lists at random to receive a free download of Louisville Is For Lovers2016 compilation!
This Week In Louisville History
Proud of your City? This Week In Louisville History gives you a peak into the past on how our city was shaped over the last couple centuries, with interesting facts you probably didn't know.
Did you know Louisville was founded on a small Island, called Corn Island, in the Ohio River? Did you know that the island was mined by companies so much that it washed away? All this and much much more at thisweekinlouisvillehistory.culturearchivist.com
The Louisville Free Public Library's new local music archive and streaming service with over 100 local albums to stream free. The service includes music by Jonathan Glen Wood, RMLLW2LLZ, Justin Paul Lewis, Billy Nelson, 1200, Brooks Ritter and Louisville Is For Lovers compilations!
A live music showcase on Jan. 20th, at the main branch at 301 York Street from 7-11, will have a 2 stage, 6 band Louisville Mix showcase to introduce the service and host by 1200. the event is free and all ages.
This Day In Pop Culture
Not a ''what's hot this week" culture website, This Day In pop Culture serves up a daily story of people & events that has shaped the world around us, reaching far beyond this week or this year. This Day In pop Culture explains how our society was shaped over the decades and centuries featuring biographies and stories including public executions of elephants for family entertainment, how Nazi politics drove a wedge between 2 brothers and in the process gave birth to the modern gym shoe, and how a New Orleans voodoo Queen was the reason the world's first Horror Punk band was arrested for grave robbing. (37FLOOD Approved!)
Me and Cereal Every Saturday
Daniel Disparte adds a new self portrait every Saturday morning having some cereal. More creative than it sounds, each post takes it's theme from the cereal he spotlights. Daniel's captivating portraits and dedication (not even skipping a post when his child was born) have gained him a cult following.
This highly creative (if not highly personal) Instagram account archives the exploits of Louisville's Kathy M, as she takes us on a tour of Louisville's bathrooms. Described as "Coming drunk and disorderly to a porcelain throne near you" this Instagram feed often portrays Kathy's adventures in costume or themed with holidays, and circle around our city's bars and nightlife in a bathroom setting, or in some cases, bathroom behavior nowhere near a proper bathroom. (37FLOOD approved!)
